Travellers roll in to set up camp again

Legal proceedings are underway against travellers who moved onto playing fields in Gomersal on Wednesday morning.

A group of caravans arrived to set up camp on land behind the old Maccess building on Nibshaw Lane.

It is believed that the group are the same party that has been based at New North Road in Heckondwike during the past few weeks, where an eviction notice was due to expire on Wednesday lunchtime.

Enforcement officers attended the site to make a formal assessment and the matter is now expected to go to court next week. It is hoped the group will move on peacefully should another eviction notice be served.

It is not the first time travellers have used the land.

They used it as a base back in 2012.

That time residents were left upset by the aggressive behaviour of animals belonging to the travellers and by the large amounts of rubbish and waste left behind.

Liversedge and Gomersal councillor Lisa Holmes said nearby homeowners were already unsettled by the travellers’ presence.

“I’ve heard people are very concerned that the travellers are using the field there as a toilet and they’re not being discreet about it either, which is obviously very upsetting for local residents,” she said.

“I understand the case should be in court by Wednesday in which case they’ll hopefully be off by the end of the week but you never know with these things.”

Christine Warrillow, who lives near the site, said: “They have been here before but I’m not 100 per cent sure how long they were there for.

“We walk our dog down that way and I think they left the place in quite a mess last time which wasn’t good for us.”

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said that the issue was a matter for the land owners.